Art of resurfacing records



March H -1930. H. P. BEERS 1 ,750,155

ART OF RESURFACING nncoiws Filed March 16. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- 15533;? or R A amcq March 11, 1930.. H. P. BEERS ART OF RESURFACING RECORDS Filed March 16, 1927 2 SheatsF-Sheat 2 R w n H N c 1 m m T an J m P M 9//////////////////Q////// 1/: 5 Q m Q i Q hi H, 9v Q 2 Patented Mar. 11, 1930 HURLBU'I' P. BEERS, F SCI-IENEC IADY, NEW YORK, AhSIG-IIOR T0 DIOTAPI'IONE CUR- POR-ATION, OF BEEDGEIPQRT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATIGH O NE'W YORK ART OF EESUPUEAGIKG RECQEDS Application filed March 16, 1927. Serial No. 175,849.

This invention relates to record-resurfacin g machines, and more particularly to means for facilitating the operation of the machine.

Heretofore, in connection with record-resurfacing and particularly shaving machines for phonographrecords used with commercial dictation machines, means have been proposed for determining the depth of cut of the knife against which the phonograph record is s rotated to remove the top surface thereof,

With these proposals, however, suitable manipulations and manual operations were necessary and, as a consequence, these proposals have not gone into extensive, if any, use.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for facilitating the adjustment of the cutting knife in a record-shaving machine, and one of the important features of this invention is the provision of means for an automatically positioning the knife when it is, as usual, moved to position longitudinally of the record to start the cutting operation.

In record-shaving machines, it is at present customary to provide a carriage operated by 25 a screw-thread to move a knife mounted on the carriage longitudinally of the phonograph record while the record is rotating.

Then, after the record has been shaved, it is usual to lift the carriage taking the feed nuts 3 out of engagement with the feed-screw and return the carriage to the starting position when a second and finishing cut is taken. According to the pr sent invention, the adjustment of the knife relative to the record is accomplished as an incident to this customary movement of the shaving knife carriage, and the device is so arranged that when the shaving knife carriage is lowered to position to start the out, the knife being manually released by a button in a convenient location is permitted to move either forwardly under spring pressure toward the record or is permitted to be forced backwardly by a cumming operation against said spring pressure to assume its proper relationship with regard to the record.

The means for controlling the depth of cut preferably, according to the present invention. comprises a fixed cam or gauge carried 0 by the knife-mechanism in aovance thereof adapted to engage the record surface while the knife is in a position slightly beyond the edge of the record. l Vhen the knife is in this position it may move forwardly until its gauge or cam engages the record, and then as the carriage is traversed the knife is brought into engagement with the record and cuts into the surface a depth determined by the location of the gauge or cam with relation thereto.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of the manually operated 1nechanism the device in such a position that it may be operated as a natural incident to the raising and lowering of the knife carriage while the latter is being positioned to operate.

@ther objects and advantages will herein after appear.

in the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of a shaving machine of the type manufactured and sold by Dictaphone Corporation of Bridgeport, Connecticut, showing the present invention ap plied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side view partially in section showing the manipulating means part'cularly.

Fig. 3 is a front view of part of the knife mechanism showing the knife and the gauge or cam which, in this form, is mounted one chip-chute and carried by the knife-bar.

in the form of record-shavin g machine shown in the accompanying drawings, a base plate 9 carries mandrel shaft 10 upon which is secured a mandrel 11 on which may be mounted a phonograph record 12 intended to be shaved. Also mounted on the base 9 is a front guide 13 and rear guide it upon which a carriagelti slides to and fro longitudinally of the record. The carriage lhhas a tubular hearing portion 16 sliding on the rear guide 1d but its front end shoe 17 merely rests on the front guide 13, and hence the front end'may be raised when a ball-shaped part 18 on a forwardly extending gooseneck 19 of the carriage is grasped by hand and moved upwardly and rearwardly.

The carirage is moved longitudinally of the record by means of a feed-nut 20 carried by the rear portion of the carriage and normally engaging the top side of a feed-screw 21 mounted in the base plate 9.

The shaving machine is operated by a suitable motor not shown which drives a belt 22, and the mandrel shaft and feed screw 21 are caused to rotate in unison by means of a. connecting belt 23 driving a pulley 2% on the feed screw 21 and being driven by a pulley 25 on the mandrel shaft 10.

As usual, the carriage 15 is provided with a housing 26 in which a knife-bar 27 is slidably mounted. At its forward end, the knifebar 27 is provided with a knife 28 which is usually of sapphire and whicn is located at an angle to the direction of cut. Also, as usual, the forward end of the knife-bar 27 carries a chip-chute 29 having an opening 30 into which the chips extend as a record is being shaved and terminating in a flared opened end 31 from which the chips fall downwardly through a hole in the base late 9 into a suitable receptacle provided or the purpose.

Heretofore, the knife-bar 27 was provided with manually operable means such as a screw-thread and nut by means of which the knife-bar 27 was moved forwardly in its housing 26 to bring the knife 28 into engagement with the surface of the record 12 so that a cut of the desired depth would be taken when the knife engaged the rotating record. This is not done by the present invention, but instead the knife-bar 27 is actually positioned by automatic means such as a spring, and is held in adjusted position by suitable locking means. As will appear more fully below, the position to which the knife-bar 27 is moved by the automatic means is determined by a gauge or cam 32 carried by the knife-bar or other part moving therewith.

This cam or guide is located in advance of the knife 28 and is adapted to engage the record surface while the knife 28 is in a position slightly beyond the end of the record 12. When the knife 28 is in this position, it may be moved forwardly until the cam or gauge 32 engages the record 12, and then as the carriage 15 travels the knife 28 is moved longitudinally of the record into engagement with the record 12 and cuts into the surface a depth determined by the location of the cam 0r gauge 32 with relation thereto.

The cam or gauge may be formed integral with the chip-chute 29. However, the cam or gauge may be made as a separate memher and may be secured to the chip-chute 29 by any suitable connection means as by soldering at 33 to the chip-chute.

In order to hold the knife 28 in proper cutting relationship with the record 12, a suitable locking means may be provided so that the knife 28 will remain in cutting contact with the record after the gauge or cam is properly adjusted.

This is accomplished in the disclosed embodiment of this invention by providing the upper portion of knife-bar 27 with a flat surface 34, so that a locking screw 35 or other member can firmly engage the same and positively hold the knife-bar 27 against transverse movement in relation with the record when the record is being shaved. The screw is threaded in the housing 26 of the carriage so that when this screw is tightened the knife-bar is immovable in the housing 26. When the screw is loosened so as not to make locking contact with the flat surface, a spring 86 carried by a guide pin 38 secured to the knife-bar and located between the chip chute and the housin 26 will tend automatically to cause the knife-bar and related parts, including the knife 28 and gauge 3-5, to move toward the record.

The knife-bar may be moved manually if desired at any time by means of a thun'ib-nut 37 carried by a guide pin 38.

Locking and unlocking the knife-bar 27 is conveniently accomplished by a remote control device for the screw 35. This preferably comprises an arm 39 located above the housing 26 on the screw 35 and normally secured thereto. Adjacent the goose-neck 19 of the carriage 15, a control rod 41 is pivotally connected to the arm 39. This control rod L1 extends upwardly for a short distance above the lower portion of ball-shaped part 18 of the goose-neck, and then the rod bends so that it extends forwardly across the machine and passes through a tubular openin 4:0 in the ballshaped part. At this end of the control rod, there is formed thereon a finger-piece or knob 42, and between this knob and a shoulder 13 on the ball-shaped part 18, a spring 44 surrounding said rod 11 normally urges the control rod 41 outwardly and away from the machine, thereby normally holding the arm 39 and screw 35 in knife-bar locking position.

Preferably, means are provided for coinpensating for the wear of the surface 3% and lock screw 35 by allowing the screw 35 to be further lowered into the housing 26 and permitting the arm 39 to be readjusted with relation to the screw after that operation. This is accomplished by loosening a clamping screw 15 between parts i7 and 48 of a splitnut portion of the arm which is threaded on the screw 35, thus permitting relative movement between the lock-screw and arm 35). After the adjustment has been made, the clamping screw 4-5 is again tightened and the parts remain in these positions until another adjustment is made.

It will thus be seen that when a record is to be shaved it is placed on the mandrel 11 and then, since the carriage is usually at the extreme left-hand end of its travel, the ballshaped part 18 of the carriage is grasped to lift the carriage and release the feed-nut 20 from the feed-screw 21 so that the carriage may be moved toward the right, as seen in lit) Fig. 1, to bring the carriage to starting position for recordshaving. As the ballshaped part 18 is grasped, the knob or fingerpiece 42 is pushed rearwardly by some part of the operators hand grasping the ballshaped part 18. This movement of the knob 42 causes the screw to be rotated to release the knife-bar 27, Since the knife-bar at this time is not in a horizontal plane directly in front of the recordsurface but er:- tends upwardly to a point over the record, consequently the knife-bar is free to move forwardly under the impetus of the spring 36. As the carriage is allowed to come downwardly to operating position at the extreme right-hand side of the machine, the position shown in Fig. 1, a cam or gauge 32 engages the record surface near the ends thereof and causes the knife-bar to be cammed backwardly. At this time the knife 28 is beyond the end of the record, and no damage is done to the record by the engagement of any sharp protuberances therewith. After the irnifebar is so adjusted the operator releases his grasp on the ball-shaped part 18 and allows the spring 44:, cooperating with the knob 42, to pull forwardly on the rod l1 and rotate the screw 35 to lock the knife-bar 27 in the position to which it was adjusted as an incident to the lowering of the carriage to start a shaving operation. The knife-bar being so locked, the subsequent operation of the machine, that is to say the rotation of the record 12 by the mandrel 11 and the rotation of the feed screw 21, causes the carriage to move to the left as seen in Fig. 1. This causes the knife, as above stated, to protrude slightly beyond the edge of the cam or gauge 32 and cut into the record.

Preferably, the gauge 32 while being firmly secured to the chip-chute 29 or some other part connected to the knife-bar 27 is made sufficiently resilient and. sufficiently broad that once the knifebar 2'? is locked in ad justed position it will be held there against any force produced as an incident to the operation of the machine moving it. Hence, slight irregularities or eccentricities of the record surface are not reproduced by the rnife-loar as the gauge or guide 32 rides over them, the knife-bar being locked firmly in position when the gauge or cam, being sligh ly resilient, absorbs the movement caused by the eccentricity or irregularity and does not transmit it on to the knife-bar.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having now described the invention, what is claimed as new'and for which it is desired to obtain Letters Patent, is

1. In a record shavingmachine, the commovable into and out of cutting position relaporting means into position preparatory to' making a cut.

2'. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; movable means for supporting said knife-bar; and automatically operated means, comprising a member I adapted to engage the record-surface, for moving said knife-bar and causing it to assume a predetermined cutting position with relation to a record carried by the recordsupport in response to movement of the knife-bar supporting means into position preparatory to making a cut.

3.111 a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; inevi able means for supporting said knife-bar; and automatically operated means, comprising a gauge adapted to engage the record-surface, for moving said knife-bar and causing it to assume a predetermined cutting position with relation to the record carried by the recordsupport in response to movement of the knife-bar srugporting means into position preparatory to making a cut.

t. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; and manually controlled automaticallyoperated means, comprising a gauge carried by a chip-chute adapted to engage the record-surface, for. moving said knife-bar to cause it to assume a predetermined cutting position with relation to a record carried by the record-sup port.

5. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-simport; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; and manually controlled automatically operated. means, comprising a adapted to engage the record-surface in advance of the knife-bar, for moving said knifebar to cause it to be set in a predetermined cutting position with relation to record carried by the record-support, said gauge being yieldable so that the eccentric or irregular surface of the record will not affect the setting of the knife-bar.

6. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a vertically movable carriage having an arm extending to the forward part of the machine and a handle at the forward end of said arm by means gauge carried by a chip-chute V of which the carriage is moved manually; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; and manually controlled automatically operated means for causing said knife-bar to be set in a. predetermined cutting position with relation to a record carried by the record-support, said means comprising a manually operated control means located in said handle for operation when said handle is grasped to move the carriage manually.

7. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a knifebar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; and manually controlled automatically operated means for causing said knife-bar to assume a. predetermined cutting position with relation to a record carried by the record-support, said means comprising means for locking said knife-bar in cutting position.

8. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a vertically movable carriage having an arm extending to the forward part of the machine and a handle at the forward end of said arm by means of which the carriage is moved manually; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; manually controlled automatically operated means for causing said knife-bar to be set in a predetermined cutting position with relation to a record carried by the record-support, said means comprising a manually open ated control means located in said handle for operation when said handle is grasped to move the carriage manually; and means for locking said knife-bar in said set cutting position. 7

9. In a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; and manually controlled automatically operated means for moving said knife-bar to cause it to assume a predetermined cutting position with relation to a record carried by the record-support, said means comprising means for locking said knife-bar in cutting position and means for releasing said locking means.

10. In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-mandrel; a carriage longitudinally movable along a tablet on the mandrel from one end to the other; a knife-bar carried by the carriage; means for automatically moving the knife bar forwardly toward the tablet surface; and a gauge carried by the carriage for determining the cutting position of the knife-bar with relation to the tablet, said gauge comprising a cam adapted to engage the recordsurface and move the knife-bar rearwardly to predetermined cutting position against the action of the means for automatically moving the knife-bar forwardly.

11. In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-mandrel; a carriage longitudinally movable along a tablet on the mandrel from one end to the other; means permitting the carriage to be moved vertically when it is desired to move the carriage along the record by hand; a knife-bar carried by the carriage; means for automatically moving the knife-bar forwardly; and a gauge carried by the carriage for determining the cutting position of the knifebar with relation to the tablet, said gauge comprising a cam adapted to engage the record-surface when the carriage is moved downwardly after the movement of the carriage longitudinally of the tablet, said cam mov'. the knife-bar rearwardly to predeterminul cutting position against the action of the means for automatically moving the knifebar forwardly.

12. In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-mandrel; a carriage longitudinally movable along a tablet on the mandrel from one end to the other; a member connected to the carriage having a grasping handle at one end thereof for vertically moving the carriage preparatory to a manual movement of the carriage longitudinally of the tablet; a knife-bar carried by the carriage; means for automatically moving tiie knife-bar forwardly toward the tablet; a gauge carried on the knife-bar in advance thereof and adapted to engage the tablet for determining the cutting position of the knife-bar with relation to the tablet, said gauge comprising a cam adapted to engage the record-surface and move the knife-bar rearwardly to predetermined cutting position against the action of the means for automatically moving the knife-bar forwardly; and means on said grasping handle for releasing the knife-bar locking means with the hand engaging the grasping handle, the release of said auton'iatic locking means permitting the means for automatically moving the kni fc-bar forwardly to act and permitting the said cam to act to move the knife-bar rearwardly against the action of said automatic means, and the release of the means on the grasping handle permitting the automatic locking means again to function.

13. In a machine for shaving sound-records, the combination of a record-carrying mandrel; a carriage longitudinally movable along a record on the mandrel from one end to the other; a housing carried by the carriage; a knife-bar carried by the housing; means adjacent the knife-bar and carried by the housing to cause movement of said knifebar transversely toward the tablet; resilient gauge means carried in advance of the knife when the tablet is being shaved to limit said movement of the knife-bar toward the tab let; and means for locking the movement of said knife-bar so that the knife-bar is held in adjusted cutting relation to the record, said means being manually controlled and automatically operated.

In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-carrying mandrel; a carriage; a guide or way for saidcarriage on which the carriage is capable of both longitudinal movement and turning movement; a housing carried by the carriage; a knife carried by said knife-bar; a resilient gauge means carried in advance of the knife when the tablet is being shaved to absorb the eccentric and irregular surface that the tablet may have; means for moving the gauge transversely toward or away from the tablet so that the knife assumes proper cutting relation to said tablet; and distant operative means for locking said gauge so that the knife is locked in said relation to the tablet.

15. In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-carrying mandrel; a carriage; a guide or way for said carriage on which the carriage is capable of both longitudinal movement and turning movement; a housing carried by the carriage; a knife normally in locked position and carried by said knife-bar; a chip-chute carried by said knife-bar; a resilient gauge member carried on said chip-chute in advance of the knife when the tablet is being shaved to ab sorb the eccentric and irregular surface that the tablet may have; means operable from the forward part of the machine for unlocking said knife; resilient means for causing automatic adjustment of said knife with re lation to the tablet when unlocking of the knife is completed; and automatic means for relocking the knife in position for cutting relation to the tablet.

16. In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-carrying mandrel; a carriage; a guide or way for said carriage on which the carriage is capable of both longitudinal and turning movements; 21 housing carried by the carriage; a knife-bar carried by said carriage; a chip-chute carried by said knife-bar; a gauge member carried on said chip-chute in advance of the knife to limit the depth of the cut made in the tablet by said knife; resilient means extending parallel to the kni fe-b ar and carried by the housing to cause movement of said knife toward the tablet; means for locking said knife in the position determined by said gauge; and means for run locking the knife so that the knife may automatically assume proper cutting relationship with the tabletsaid locking and unlocking means being operable as an incident to theraising and lowering of the carriage.

17. In a machine for shaving sound-record tablets, the combination of a tablet-carrying mandrel; a carriage; a guide or way for said carriage on which the carriage is capable of both longitudinal and turning movement; a

housing carried by the carriage; a knifebar carried by said carriage; a chip-chute carried by said knifebar; a gauge carried by said chip-chute in advance of the knife to limit the depth of cut made in the tablet by said knife; a spring extending parallel to the knife-bar and carried by the housing for iusing movement of the knife-bar toward the tablet; a clamping screw carried by the housing and adapted to engage the knifebar for locking the knife-bar in position determined by said gauge; a lever carried by said locking screw; and a rod carried by said lever, said rod extending forwardly to easily accessible position and being there provided with a fingenpiece.

18. in a record shaving machine, the combination of a record-support; a knife-bar movable into and out of cutting position relative to the record-support; achip-chute on the knife-bar; a gage carried by said chip-chute adapted to engage the record surface and cause the knife-bar to assume a pre determined. cutting relation to the record surface; and means for adjusting said chipchute relative to the knife-bar to vary the depth of a predetermined cut.

19. The combination in a mac-hineof the character described of a record-support, a knife, a supporting means for the knife movable toward and from the record-support,

and means carried by the knife-supporting means and cooperating with a record on the record-support for moving the knife-supporting means when the latter is brought into position preparatory to making a shaving cut.

20, The combination in a machine of the character described of a record-support, a knife, a supporting means for the knife movable toward and from the record-support, and means carried by the knife-supporting means adapted to make contact with a record on the record-support for moving said knifesupporting means away from the record support when the knife-supporting means is brought into position preparatory to making a shaving cut.

21. The combination in amachine of the character described of a record-support, a mo vablc knifesupportin;g means, a. knife carried by said means and a stop member carried by said means, and cooperating with a record on said recordsupport upon movement of said means for ausing the knife to assume a predetermined cutting position with relation to said record.

Signed at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, this 12th day of March, 1927.

HUELBUT P. BEER-S. 

